Allotropes, which are different physical forms of the same element, of carbon include diamond, graphite, and charcoal. Graphite is a layered structure of stacked two-dimensional planes of a honeycomb or hexagonal lattice formed by sp2 hybridized carbon atoms. In 2004, these individual planar layers of carbon atoms, graphene, were isolated. In addition to forming graphite, graphene forms the basis of fullerenes, and carbon nanotubes. Graphene exhibits unique mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties.
Methods exist to form graphene from graphene oxide. Some chemical methods involve toxic chemicals, and some intermediates produced by these chemical methods may be explosive. Thermal methods exist, but require a large use of energy, which is expensive.
Thus, additional methods of production of graphene from graphene oxide are needed.